Oil pump for steam engines



Aug. 21, 1928.

H. F. RIPKEN OIL PUMP FOR STEAM ENGINES Filed Feb. 6, 1926 Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES HUGO F. RIPKEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIG-NOB OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES A. MGCULLOCH, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

OIL PUMP FOR STEAM ENGINES.

Application filed February The present invention relates to an oil feed mechanism, and more particularly to a mechanism for supplying oil to the steam chest of a locomotive. .Vhen a locomotive is running at high speed at full throttle with the steam being cut off on each stroke shortly after the piston has started on an operative stroke; the steam, surging through the supply pipes and the steam chestis suddenly checked in its rush, by the closing of the cut-off valve. The momentum of the steam as it rushes through the supply pipes into the suddenly closed steam chest, momentarily builds up the pressure in the steam chest to greater than boiler pressure. This phenomena is generally referred to as a banking of pres sure.

In a common type of locomotive lubrication, asupply of oil is fed from an oil reservoir into a pipe, generally known as the tallow pipe, through a device which maintains the pressure in this pipe at substantially boiler pressure. This pipe passes downward alongside the boiler and opens into the steam chest of the locomotive. Since the pressure in the pipe is at boiler pressure and since the pipe opens into the steam chest, it is apparent that gravity will normally carry oil fed into the pipe down to the steam chest. The oil generally passes through a sight feed in the locomotive cab before entering the tallow pipe. At the point where the tallow pipe enters the steam chest, it is usually provided with a small choke plug, or other device therein, to maintain a balance of pressure in the tallow pipe between the lubricator and the steam chest.

It has been observed. by means of sight glasses placed below and above a choke plug of an ordinary type of lubricator, when a locomotive was operating at high speed with ashort cut-off, that while the lubricator in the cab continues to indicate av feeding of oil after the throttle has been opened Wide and the engine is operating with a short cut-off, that there is actually no oil delivered to the steam chest because of the periodic increase in the steam chest to greater than boiler pressure. Instead, the oil is held in the tallow pipe.

Since the banking of pressure occurs twice in each engine revolution when running at high speed with a short cut-off, and since in lubricator at boiler oil is delivered to the steam 6, 1926. Serial No. 86,607.

pressure, as previousny described, the oil in the tallow pipe is held back by the pulsations in the steam chest, thus caused, and no chest.

An object of the present invention is to actuate an oil feed mechanism by pressure fluctuations in the steam chest of an engine to force oil under pressure into the steam chest.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a cylinder having a piston mounted therein with an offset upper portion,'the piston cooperating with the cylinder when moved upward to trap a quantity of oil intermediate the main body of the piston and the offset portion thereof, and force a portion of said oil downwardly past the piston.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought out by the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l, is a view in longitudinal section through a locomotive piston and steam chest, showing an oil feed mechanism made in accordance with the present invention connected thereto.

Figure 2, is a view in longitudinal section through the oil feed mechanism, showing it in a normal condition.

Figure 3, is a view showing the piston of the oil feed mechanism in an operating condition; and

Figure 4, is a section similar to that of Figures 2 and 3, showing the piston of the oil feed mechanism at the beginning of an operative movement thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a locomotive cylinder A of a conventional type has an ordinary piston l operatively mounted therein. A conventional, piston type, steam chest B is shown above the cylinder. An oil feed mechanism C, embodying the present invention is shown in side elevation, as feeding into a steam supply pipe 2, which connects a boiler, not shown, to the steam chest. For the purpose of the present description, it will be assumed that at the moment illustrated the engine is operating at high speed, that the main piston l is moving from right to left on an operative stroke, and that the steam supply has just been cut off from an orifice 3 by the steam chest piston 4. The steam at the right of the main piston is still. expanding, since it is at high pressure, and will continue to expand until the piston reaches the end of its operative stroke. At that point the steam chest piston, moving 'tothe left beyond the orifice 3,'will permit the steamlto' pass out through "the exhaust passage 5 at the extreme right of the steam chest housing, simultaneously admitting steam through a second orifice 6 from the steam chest into 'the main cylinder on the other side of the piston to urge it on its return stroke.

Steam from the bo ler, rushing through the steamsupply pipe 2 into the steam chest and thence into the cylinder, acquired a ..momentum, which, when suddenly checkedby the closing of the orifice 3 by means of thesteam chest piston 4, caused thepressure in the steam chest and in the steam supply .pipeQ to he momenta ily built up to greater This increase of pressure is transmitted to the oil feed mechanismC through a passage 7, which is of a size to freely admit steam from the pipe 2 therein. If desired the lower endof the oil feed mechanism may be inopen communication with the steam chest directly instead than boiler pressure.

of with the feed pipe 2.

ly a housing 8 connected at to a tallow pipe 9- and at its lower end to portion 13 The oil feed mechanism C comprises mainits upper end the steam supply pipe 2. The housing has an enlarged chamber 10, from whence an orifice 1 1 communicates with a second enlarged chamber 12 below. A cylindrical below this second enlarged portion has a piston 14 operat-ively mounted therein, the. piston having a reduced upper portion;15 of a size to have a close sliding fit within the orifice ll-and havingalso a reduced lower portion 16 to have av sliding fit within a suitable seatinginember which is here illustrated as comprising a ring 17, which acts as a seat for thepiston when it is in a normal position, and in connection with the reduced lower portion 16, forms a compression chamber to prevent unduly hard seating of the piston la. The piston is hollowed out at 18 on its lower end and has two small ducts 19 therethrough which permit oil to seep slowly through from the tallow pipe'to the steam chest when the oil flows down 'byrg ravity inthe normal operation of the engine. A plurality of openings 20 communicate from the hollowed out lower portion of the piston to the exterior thereof and are positioned to register with the second enlarged chamber 12 about the time the reduced upper portion 15 of the piston let enters the orifice 11.

Under normal operating conditions the piston pistonlfil is held bytallow pipe pres surein the lowered position shown in Figure 2, and oil flows by .gravity downwardly,

"through the ducts '19 in a normal manner and into the steam chest through the passage the piston 14: is pressure or less. maining in the chamber 12 acts as a motivattherethrough, the piston is driven upward by the steam.

When the piston moves up to the position illustrated in Figure 4-, the reduced upper portion of the piston closes the orifice 11. and a supply of oil and steam is trapped in the second enlarged chamber 12' between the orifice and the offsetpor'tion of the piston.

The tallow pipe and the casing are filled with steam, the oil flowing down the sides of the tallow pipe but; not necessarily filling it. The oil ducts 19 are too small to permit the passage of-any-appreciable amount of oil and steam trapped-in-the chamber 12 by the sudden upward movement of the piston 14: and may be disregarded in the func'tioning'of the device when operated by banked pressure. About'the same time the reduced upper portion 15 of the piston 1 c enters the orifice '11, the larger apertures-2O are moved above the shoulder forming the lower edge of the chamber12. his permits the oil and 'steamt'rapped in the enlarged chamber 12to escape downthrough said apertures 20 from whence it passes into the steam chest. The upward speed of the piston 14: is rapid and, therefore, the oil and steam trapped by the upward movement of the piston as above described is forced in jets through the apertures 20 sharply and imurges against the opposite side of the holber 12 are completely exhausted through the ducts 20. the pressure on the lower side of again reduced to boiler The trapped steam reing force to start thepisto'n back toward its seat. The pressure in the tallow pipe, being at boiler pressure, also acts in the same manner. Therefore, when the intake valve opens on the next stroke of the engine and the pressure in the steam chest is reduced thereby, the forces on the upper side of the piston overcome those onthe lower side thereof and the piston is forced back upon its seat in position for another operative stroke when the intake valve closes and thepressure is banked above boiler pressure. As the piston is forced back upon its seat, a portion of the oil accumulated in the reservoir provided by the enlarged chamber 10 above the orifice 11 is drawn down into the second enlarged chamber 12 where it is in a position to be trapped and driven through the piston, in the manner previously described, upon the next banking of pressure in the steam chest when the steam supply to the cylinder is suddenly cut off on the next stroke of the engine.

lVhile the type of oil feed mechanism herein illustrated and described shows a preferred embodiment of'the invention, it will be apparent to one versed in the art that itwould be but the work of a mechanic to provide numerous other embodiments thereof, differing in appearance from, but with the same principles, as the pump herein illustrated. It is, therefore, not desired to limit the invention except as defined in the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. An oil feed mechanism, having a casing with a shoulder therein, a piston, mounted in said casing and having an oliset portion to register with the shoulder of the casing, the shoulder and the oiiset portion being positioned to cooperate upon an operative stroke of the piston to form a compression chamber, a normally open bypass past the piston, and a normally closed by-pass past the piston being opened by an operative movement of said piston, said normally open by-pass being smaller than the normally closed by-pass.

2. An oil feed mechanism, comprising a. casing with a piston having an offset portion thereon operatively mounted in said casing, the offset portion having perforations therethrough and having normally closed bypass channels therein, the interior of the casing being formed to engage the oltset portion of the piston on an operative stroke to trap a quantity of oil between the offset portion of the piston and the casing, the piston moving the by pass channels into open communication with the trapped oil upon a partial completion of the operative stroke of said pis-- ton.

3. An oil feed mechanism, having a casing, a piston operatively mounted in said casing, the piston having an offset portion to register with a portion of the casing, and having a normal position and an operated position, the oflset portion overlapping a portion of the casing on its movement to an operated condition to form an auxiliary compression chamber therebetween, a constantly open bypass through the offset portion of the piston, and a normally closed passage from said auxiliary chamber past the piston, said latter passage being opened by a movement of the piston to an operated condition.

4. An oil feed mechanism, a casing, a floating piston operatively mountedthcrein to have a normal condition and an operated condition, said piston having a perforated oilset' portion, cooperative with the casing on an operative stroke of the piston to form an auxiliary chamber, anda bypass normally closed by said piston, the piston mow ing to open the byoass into the auxiliary chamber upon said operative stroke.

5. An oil feed mechanism, a casing having a shoulder thereon, a float-ing piston operatively mounted in the casing and having an offset portion positioned to cooperate with said shoulder, the oilset portion of the piston being normally spaced from said shoulder and being of a size to cooperate with the shoulder of the casing to form a separate chamber between said shoulder and said offset portion on an operative stroke of said piston, and a bypass normally closed by said piston and being placed in open communication with the chamber formed between the offset portion of the piston and the shoulder of the casing on an operative stroke of said piston.

6. An oil feed mechanism, having a casing, a piston mounted therein, a compression chamber of reduced area normally in open communication with the interior of the casing, the piston and easing cooperat ing on an operative stroke of the piston to seal said compression chamber and force the contents thereof past the piston.

7. An oil feed mechanism, having a casing, a piston mounted therein, a compression chamber of reduced area normally in open communication with an oil supply, a piston and casing cooperating upon an operative stroke of the piston to seal said compression chamber and force the contents thereof past the piston, and an offset portion on the piston cooperating with the casing to form a compression chamber upon a re turn of the piston to normal.

8. In combination with a steam chest of the character described, with means for supplying steam to said chest, oil feed means controlled by the steam pressure within the chest, consisting of oil feed means to constantly feed oil to said chest when the steam pressure within said chest is normal, and normally idle means actuated by an increase of pressure within said chest above normal to force oil toward said chest against said increased steam pressure.

9. In combination with steam chest of the character describes, oiling mech anism permitting a gravity flow of oil to the steam chest when steam pressure there-- Lil) inis normal, andiforce feed mains' 'arra-nged to be actuatedby an increase of steam pressure Within said steam chest-above normai to force oil toward Sitid'StQELlTl chest against by an increase inpressure in the steam chest above normal to trap a quantity of oil and forceit toward said steam chest against said increased pressure.

11; In combination with. a steam :chest oi the character described, oiling mechanism supplylng OlltO said steam chest by gravity during;normalpressure in the steam chest,

and-:pressure operated means forming part of said oiling-mechanism actuated by an increase in pressure in. the steam chest to trap a quantity of 011 and-force 1t toward said steam chestagainst said'increased pressure.

In testimony whereof: I

HUGO F. BIPKEN.

affix my signature 

